Exam on Simmons shows muscle strain in forearm, no ligament damage

The follow-up examination Sunday on Mariners reliever Shae Simmons produced fairly positive results: No ligament damage in his elbow; just a strained muscle in his forearm.

Simmons, 26, missed much of the two previous seasons while recovering from reconstructive-elbow surgery — commonly known as Tommy John surgery — and left Saturday's game after experiencing stiffness in his forearm.

He underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam on Sunday.

"The results came back good for him," manager Scott Servais said. "It’s just a little strain in the muscle mass in the forearm. We’ll shut him down for a little time and let it calm down. Nothing related to the ligament. He’ll sleep a little easier.

"It’s pretty much what our doctors thought. We’re just going to be very cautious on that one."

While there is no timetable for Simmons’ return, a calm-down period generally lasts at least a week. He would then resume a throwing program and, barring a further setback, should be ready by opening day.

The Mariners acquired Simmons in a Jan. 11 trade from Atlanta to fill their need for another power right-handed reliever, and he quickly positioned him to fill that role by reaching the upper-90s with his fastball.

Simmons said he had experienced no problems with his forearm or elbow prior to Saturday’s game..

"Everything’s been good," he said. "Coming in (Saturday), I felt strong. As far as I know, everything is normal. Then that first pitch to the last hitter, I just felt something…it just stiffened up on me.

"Everything’s been fine and normal. I thought it was going to be a normal spring training. Maybe this is just a little bump in the road, and everything will be fine."

Bob Dutton: @TNT_Mariners

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About Bob Dutton

Bob Dutton joined The News Tribune in 2013 after more than 25 years at the Kansas City Star, including the last 13 covering baseball and the Royals. He was the president of the Baseball Writers' Association of America in 2008 and serves on the committee that nominates players to the Hall of Fame.